Welcome to Patently Mobile, a dedicated Intellectual Property news site that specializes in dissecting patent applications from leading industry players such as Microsoft, Google, Samsung and others. If you love to explore future inventions, you'll love our site.

September 16, 2014

Samsung Wins a Great Design Patent for a Smart Bracelet that Doubles as a Smartphone

Apple was first to introduce a next generation smartwatch in a patent that projected a very futuristic design. Unlike a traditional watch with a tiny display, Apple envisioned a wider display that would wrap around a user's wrist. It had room for viewing apps like the iPhone of today while being able to accommodate a video call and so much more. It was a leap ahead of anything their competitors were even dreaming of for a next-gen smartwatch. Some 17 months later, a Samsung patent application came to light for a similar smartwatch design. It was quite in-depth with a very sharp vision. Last week the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Samsung a design patent for a new smart-bracelet or watch that could double as a smartphone. While tonight's report is limited to presenting you with Samsung's actual design patent figures and nothing else – you'll still be able to see for yourself that Samsung is boldly looking far beyond their current Gear design line-up that's struggling to find it's footing in the market.

On paper, Samsung's design is very interesting indeed. Yet it'll really depend on how Samsung delivers this kind of device to market. Will there be a multitude of bangles or straps to choose from? Will it offer a wide range of colors and materials? Only time will tell.

Yet for now, it would seem that Samsung is getting closer to delivering a smartwatch that's more for power geeks and professionals that want much more out of watch than a tiny traditional display that everyone is manufacturing today. Will Samsung be the first OEM to break the traditional smartwatch mold and be bold enough to actually deliver the very design they now own?

For the record: unlike "patent applications," design patents published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office don't reveal pertinent information about a particular design. We can look at the design and appreciate it for what it projects, but we'll never discover which materials may be used to construct the design. We'll never know what unique internal components may be hidden within the device or learn about any unique features that we could look forward to. All we get is the simple visual of what could be coming down the pipeline. Below you'll find three of the very best design patent figures related to Samsung's invention.

Technically speaking, Samsung simply describes this newly granted design as an "electronic device." It doesn't call it a smartwatch or a smartphone. That's what we're categorizing it as because at the bottom of the display, as shown in patent FIG. 1 above, it strongly suggests that it's going to be a future smartwatch/smartphone.

Samsung has been hinting for some time now that future smartphone designs would be adding curved and even "folded displays." The new Galaxy Note Edge released earlier this month came with a curved edge proving that Samsung is pushing display innovation.

It's apparent by their current actions andpatents filings that they're seriously trying to get the leap on Apple in respect to next generation displays for smart devices. With Apple now revealing that they'll be aiming their new "Apple Watch" designs squarely at consumers that traditionally wear watches, will Samsung follow a similar path for Gear or take a gamble with something bolder like the design noted above or the one that they revealed back in June? This will certainly be interesting to watch unfold (pardon the pun) over the next several years.

For now, what's your take on Samsung's new design patent? Do you think that such a device would fly in the market? Send in your comments below.

A Note for Tech Sites covering our Report: We ask tech sites covering our report to kindly limit the use of our graphics to one image. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.